A Long-Term Investment

Bradley Company professionals reflect on their history in commercial real estate.

12/6/2017

Tammy Davis

Jeffrey Crane & provided

Bradley Company has long been a mainstay in northern Indiana’s commercial real estate market. As the company prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2018, stories of commitment and longevity within the company are easy to find. In particular, three senior members of the Fort Wayne office have worked together for nearly four decades, building a knowledge base and market expertise in commercial real estate that continues to benefit area clients to this day.

Mike Dahm, Stan Phillips and Dan Dickey began working together after Dahm and then-colleague Jim Harding founded Harding Dahm commercial real

estate in 1967. Phillips, a commercial banker at the time, got to know them when he helped finance a portfolio of properties. As they continued to become better acquainted, Phillips joined the company in 1977 as the head of its property management department.

Dickey was later introduced to the company through Phillips, who had been a long-time friend. Dickey had been looking to make a career change after teaching high school math for several years and in 1983 was brought on board to assist in the firm’s growing property management segment.

According to Dahm, developing relationships has always been a key component of their success. “It all started through knowing our passion and goals and having a plan to develop relationships with clients,” he explains. “We wanted to provide the best opportunities for clients to grow and expand with savings, market knowledge, and the best services possible.”

Over the last 50 years, Dahm, Phillips and Dickey have forged lasting relationships not only with each other, but also with clients and vendors throughout the region. It has worked well because each of the three brings something different. “We each have our strengths. We complement each other professionally and have tremendous respect for one another,” explains Dickey.

Those strengths and time spent cultivating relationships have continued to pay off again and again, bringing many firsts to the area. The firm became the first in northern Indiana to establish a property management department, the first to establish an in-house appraisal department, the first to affiliate with a national real estate organization, and the first to be selected as an advisor to the US Treasury Department’s Real Estate Trust Corporation, among others. The full list of industry contributions facilitated by Dahm, Phillips and Dickey is remarkable.

Each year the trio has worked together has brought new experiences and built expertise that brings value to clients. “Our longevity is important to all of our customers, as they could rely on us being there through the challenges of the business world,” explains Dickey. “We have been there to service our customers’ needs whether they were expanding their business, relocating, downsizing, building new buildings, or acquiring new properties.”

Of course, longevity does not mean that everything stays the same; processes and skillsets must evolve along with the market in order to maintain a high level of success. “Every day is a different experience,” says Phillips. “What you plan to

do one day may take a backseat to what you actually complete.”

In fact, Phillips describes the company as a “leader in the commercial real estate community, always in the forefront with new skills and disciplines.”

One of the most significant changes for the company was its merger with Bradley Company in 2013. Consolidating the two entities under the Bradley Company umbrella made sense for both, as they shared similar professional philosophies and management styles. In addition, they have collectively nurtured a long-term commitment to the industry: 2017 marks what would have been the 50th anniversary for Harding Dahm, and Bradley Company will mark 40 years in 2018.

Brad Toothaker, president and CEO of Bradley Company, touts the trio’s work for the company. “Mike, Stan and Dan have done remarkable work together in the Fort Wayne market. Bradley Company is stronger because of them, but more important is how they’ve served their customers for 50 years and built a sterling reputation in northeast Indiana,” he says.

As Bradley Company looks toward its 40th anniversary, its model for continued success rests on the shoulders of its people – people like Dahm, Phillips and Dickey who have maintained

a longterm commitment to serving clients and improving the industry.

“We have a great reputation for trust, integrity and providing professional services, with a full-service company that proves to customers how we can add value,” says Dahm. “Bradley Company’s service delivery platform is structured to define key benefits to clients, and we have built strong relationships with landlords and tenants.”